First woman Sigma Xi award winner to give seminar on achievements
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Connie Weaver, distinguished professor and head of the Department of Food and Nutrition in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences, will present "Calcium in Human Nutrition - from Diet to Bones." The seminar will highlight her academic career research accomplishments and will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Stewart Center's Fowler Hall, followed by a reception in Stone Hall, Room 232.
Weaver, a past president of Purdue's Sigma Xi chapter, was selected as the 2006 award winner for the Purdue chapter last spring. A committee appointed by the executive members of Purdue's Sigma Xi chapter selects the winner from a pool of nominees.
Weaver's research interests have included mineral bioavailability, calcium metabolism, bone health and calcium absorption. Nominated by Lou Sherman, professor of biological sciences, Weaver is the first woman and first professor of foods and nutrition to win the award.
"I saw that she was a fine scientist and deserving of this prestigious honor," Sherman said. "She is well-respected in her field, and her work is beneficial to all. Her research with calcium has led to dietary recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences."
Weaver is director of Purdue's Botanicals Research Center, funded by the National Institutes of Health, and is a former president of the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. She served on the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and is an elected fellow of the American College of Nutrition and Institute of Food Sciences. In addition to the Sigma Xi award, she has received the W.O. Atwater Award for promoting human health from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Weaver also initiated the Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecture Series with past chapter presidents Augustine Peter, a professor of veterinary clinical science, and Sherman. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and other Purdue schools and departments, the series brings international scientists to campus for lectures that are free and open to the public. Weaver is currently chair of the lecture series committee.
The 2006 award announcement was made April 20 at the annual banquet for the Purdue chapter of Sigma Xi, a global science and engineering scholarly society that brings together scientists from across disciplines to exchange ideas. The Purdue Sigma Xi Faculty Research Award, first given in 1950, includes $1,000 and a commemorative plaque. As part of the award, the recipient presents their academic research at an annual seminar the following fall semester.
Founded in 1909, the Purdue chapter of Sigma Xi is the 27th chapter and currently has more than 400 active members. In addition to the faculty award, the chapter grants annual awards to Purdue graduate students for research, middle and high school science fair participants for outstanding exhibits, and a high school science teacher for exemplary teaching.
With a combined membership of 75,000, Sigma Xi has more than 500 chapters at universities, colleges, government laboratories and industry research centers. The non-profit society of scientists and engineers, selected to be in the society based on research achievements, publishes the journal American Scientist.
Writer: Bethany Bannister-Andrews, (765) 494-2073, bbannister@purdue.edu
Sources: Connie Weaver, (765) 494-8231, weavercm@purdue.edu
Augustine Peter, (765) 494-5808, petera@purdue.edu
Lou Sherman, (765) 494-8106, lsherman@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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